Garrioch: Ottawa sports fans should savour Sunday’s CFL East final

As more than 24,000 prepare to gather at TD Place for Sunday’s East final between the Ottawa Redblacks and Edmonton Eskimos, my mind will wander back to the good old days as a youngster growing up in Orléans, writes Bruce Garrioch.

Somehow they just seem to go together especially for moments like these.

And as more than 24,000 prepare to gather at TD Place for Sunday’s East final between the Ottawa Redblacks and Edmonton Eskimos, my mind will wander back to the good old days as a youngster growing up in Orleans when we met at my parents’ home on a sunny fall afternoon to jump in the car for a trip to Lansdowne Park.

Yes, there’s something wrong with a Grey Cup rematch being held in the East final, but the Canadian Football League used to have two teams with the same name — so it’s always been a little bit different and maybe that’s why we love the small-town feel of this nine-team circuit, which is better now with Ottawa back in the fold.

It seems like only yesterday that my brothers Curtis, Neil and Brian along with my brother-in-law Mark Sorokan, my sister Barbara and my sister-in-law Gail Garrioch bundled up on a cold Sunday afternoon to see the Rough Riders on Nov. 19, 1978 when they lost a heartbreaking 21-16 decision to the Montreal Alouettes.

I’m not sure if it was my first game at the stadium but that’s certainly my first memory of being there.

It may have been nearly 40 years ago, and I was much younger then, but it’s funny how you can still picture the walk down Echo Drive along the canal to Lansdowne after finding parking nearby like it was yesterday — the trip over the Bank Street bridge and purchasing a program with the money saved from the Ottawa Citizen paper route.

It’s hard to forget the dark clouds as we left the stadium that afternoon because the Rough Riders were the best team in the East that season with an 11-5 record and quarterback Tom Clements couldn’t get it done.

Today, the Redblacks will make new memories for some young kid from Orléans who makes the trip to Lansdowne Live with their family in hopes of another Miracle on Bank Street.

Last year, it was second-and-25 when quarterback Henry Burris connected with Greg Ellingson for the wild winning touchdown against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

This year, it could be Ottawa kicker Ray Early who sails the ball through the uprights with a 45-yard winner on the final play of the game. The headline could be: “Early comes up big late.”

Anything is possible and that’s why they play the game.

The Redblacks haven’t been good at home, carrying a 2-6-1 record this season as they prepare to meet the Eskies to determine which team will make the trip to Toronto for next week’s 104th Grey Cup at BMO Field in Toronto, but the optimism will reign for every Ottawa fan that will pack the place on this frigid Sunday.

There is just something about football that is different than any other sport.

Perhaps it’s because of the buildup in a game where it always feels like everything’s at stake because they have a short schedule or it could be waking up in the morning, stopping somewhere for a big brunch then heading into the stadium for a cold pint while the players go through their warmups.

Maybe it’s the way the game is played or the strategy the coach uses in his play-calling or the enormity of 10-play drive that eats up the clock to produce a big touchdown or the stunning reaction when a receiver grabs a pass and streaks down the sidelines untouched in seconds to completely change the momentum.

Since the Senators arrived in 1992 they’ve pretty much owned the stage for big sports moments in Ottawa.

Who can forget opening night against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 8, 1992 or the loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 7 of the East final in 2003 or the greeting at the airport after Daniel Alfredsson’s OT winner in Buffalo advanced the club to the Stanley Cup final against the Anaheim Ducks?

Those were all memories that will last a lifetime but the Redblacks have their own chance at the spotlight on this Sunday.

You can bet there will be carloads of Ottawa fans heading to Toronto next week if somehow the Redblacks can knock off the Eskies today and get back to the CFL’s big dance for the second straight year.

Don’t start planning a parade down Bank Street, but you can dream about it a little bit today.

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